Book reviews: Bards ballads and boundaries: an ethnographic atlas of music-traditions in West Rajasthan

2007·2.4 MB·English

BOOKREVIEWS
didcontainDistrictmaps.)
Bards Ballads and
Thebookprovidesmanyinterestingsidelights
Boundaries: An Ethnographic andnuggetsofinfocmation.Forexample.the
Atlas of Music-Traditions informationabouttheHudkalsisabonus(p.3JI).
in West Rajasthan ThenoteabouttheMeghwalsandtheirmusic
(pp. 190-2) isveryineresnng.h would have
DanielNeuman,ShubhaChaudhuriwith
gained in worth ifthe information aboutthe
KomalKothari;
fourfolddivisionoftheirrepertoirehadbeen
SeagullBooks,Calcutta, 2006 furtherprobedandelaborated:para,pasyanti,
madhyamf and the vaikhar] are the four
Thefolkmusiciansofsouth-westernRajasthan successivelyascendantlevelsofsound(ndda]
andtheirmusicformasubjectveryworthyof inthephilosophicalthoeghrorlndiaanditisvery
research and thebook underreview excites, exciting to hear offolk-song classifications
therefore.eageranticipation.Astudythereof. pwportinglyconfonningtotheselevels.
however.leavesonewithmixedfeelings. Insurn,thereisalotwhichispraiseworthyas
First.thecreditside. farastheethnographyanditscartographyare
TheartaftheManga~iyarsandtheLangjls, concerned.exceptthatthereis some lack of
in particular, has now acquired an avid consistency and some minor overall
internationalaudience.Theseriousstudenthas shortcomings.tobementionedlater.
alsobenefittedfromandisquitefamiliarwith Theethnographiccontextofthemusicalso
the writings of the late Kamal Kothari in comesout,,'CU.Themajorshonoomingconccrns
particular. The work under review is very thetreatmentofthemusicitself.
welcomeasittakesapioneeringstepforwardin The music ofthe Mangal).iya:rs and the
callingtoservicethetoolsofsystematicsurvey, Langilsisnotclassicaleitherinitspremiseorits
tabulation and cartography to aid and carry propounding: it is a parallel. sui generis
forwardtheworksofardonebyobservationand phenomenonfatheredbysheerhereditaryand
insight.Inasenseittranslatesobservationinto honedvirtuositytowhichhavebeenadded.toa
factandfactintovisuals.Toonefamiliarwith varyingdegree. some imbibedoreven aped
theterrainanditsmusic-makersitisapleasure classicalorpseudo-classicalelements.
and an asset to seeall those villagesand all Chapter9ofthebookdocsmanagetobring
thosepeopleinmapsandinphotographs.some outtheessentialsofthissituationalbeit ina
ofwhichlatterarereallypraiseworthy.Those laboured manner. But the treatment of the
whohaveanyexperienceofthissortofwork "gfiyaki",thelok-riigas(folk-melodies)involved.
will appreciate the difficulties involved in andtheoneprincipalindicatoroftheparallel
collectingdatafrom2,111individuals---about classicism.theuncany feel forthe notes.the
6.000-pluspeople-intheface"ofproblemsof intervalsandtheconsonancesexhibitedinthe
thestandardsociologicaltype". (Theauthors tuningofcomplexinstrumentssuchastheSindhi
haverecountedasan additionalproblem the s.:irangi seems to betray less than adequate
absenceofofficialdetailedmaps.buttheDistrict exposure.studyandinternalizing.
Asregardsthegjlyakiorstyleofsinging,ina
Census Handbooksdid provide Tehsil-level
workhavingmainlytodo withthe artofthe
mapsandboththeyandtheDistrictGazetteers
Sang~tINatal Vol.XLI. No.2. 2007
72 VUAYVERMA
MdnganiydrsandtheLangiis.Iackofreference andprovidesthetitlefor"SurSdmundI".
totheJang~3styleofsingingisinexplicable.Of Similarly,again, not only do the cardinal
thesong-typesrenderedinthisstyleonlySolais centrality and relevance of Asa and its
mentionedandit,too.ismisspellasSolu;there tremendous vogue right from Gujarat to
isnomcntionofBh3wanand~.Comingto HimachalPradesh,and,ofcourse,inwestern
thefolkandthe"midwaymelodies".theMang Rajasthan, go unnoticed but the book also
initstripleconnotationsas.raga,styleandthe unwarrantedly announces the lok-raga's
individualcompositionshasnotbeenadequately extinction (p.liO): it is very much alive in
dealtwithandthesuppositionthattherearefour expressionsasvariedas the Bhawjli and the
typesofMandhasnotbeenexamined.Mang, balladeers'songsofGujaratandthesingingof
likemuchelseinthemusicofwestemRajasthan. theballadofP:ibiijiinRajasthan.
cannotbefullyundetstoodwithouttheconjoined ExtendedreferencetothelegacyoftheSfifi
contextofSindhandareascontiguouswithit. poet-musician saintsofSindhisnecessarynot
Theworkdulytakesnoteofthisfact:"...there onlyforunderstandingthelok-ragasinthe music
have been extensive historical and cultural ofwesternRajasthanbu1alsofbraproperappraisal
relationswithSindhtothewestandKutchand bothofthenamesofsomeclassicalriigasoccuning
Saurashtra(inGujarat)tothesouth"(p.10).But inthetalkandtherepertoireofthepurveyorsof
beyondthisthethemehasnotbeenadequately thismusicandtheapparentclassicismoftheir
pursued.Asaresult.butfOTpassingreferences. gjlyaki.The "Surs"oftheShahincludedthese
adequate notice has not been taken ofShah classicalraga-names:Kalydna,Yamankalydna,
Lateeff1689-1732),his"Risalo"and its"surs" Sri,Des;.Kamod,Kedar,Sarang,Ramkal]and
(sargasorchapters),withoutreferencetowhom Bihiwal.TheShahVIasservedandaccompanied
andwhichitisnotpossibletoknowaboutthe bythemusiciansAtalandCahcal.TheKalamof
-:Asa-samerIfamilyoflok-rilgasofwhichour Shahlnat(c. 1623-1712)wasarrangedunder22
Mangwasamemberorabequest.Thisomission "Suruds"ormodesofsinging.theritlesofwhich
also results, for example, in 'Rat;l0" being includedtheseclassicalraga-names;Kalyana,
mentionedasalok-rilgawhereasitisnothing Sri,Ramkal],Dhanasr],JaitSrI,Bilawal,Desl,
butKutcchi-Kaf[ithe label"Ral)o"havingits Sarang,Tog!andKamod.Thus,theimbibingof
basisonlyinsomecompositionsaboutthelegend sometrappingsofclassicalmusicbythesefolk
ofMiimalandMahendra.theRal).aorRal)oof musiciansneednotbeascribedonlytocontact
Arnarkot, the subject, incidentally. ofShah withcourtsandtOWIL'i:itmayaswellbetraced
Lateef's "SurMilmal"inhis"Risalo''beingin back totheSlifsaint-poetsofSindh.And.of
thatraga,vizKutcchi-Kaf'[.Similarly,thereis course,Sindhalsogavebirthtoorsharedawhole
no ragacalled Sasvi(pp.96-98):the wordin bunchoflok-riigaslikeAsa,Samet],Kohiyar],
Sassuiand"SurSassui''inthe"Risalo"assigns Manjh (theMan~ ofSindh),Mdrii, Karahal,
fi..-esurs-c-Sessui,Mazur],DesT,Kohiyarland Sorath,and KutchhI.Kafi.Thus,the musicof
Hussainjc.-tothetragictaleofSassui.lftheso western Rajasthan has necessarily to be
calledSasviriigaisalsoknownasSamer](p.98), understoodinthecompositecontextof,atleast,
thentherenderingshouldhavebeencompared Sindh,Gujarat,andwestemRajasthan.Justtogive
tooneofSamerIand, ideally,zeroeddownto oneexample, in westernRajasthan Sdrang is
theconcernedsongorsongsintheconcerned associatedwithMaIhiir(p.102):ShahLateefalso
"Sur"inthe"Risalo".Itmaybementionedthat resortedtoSarangtowelcometherainyseason.
Silmer],too.isknown10the"Ris3lo"asSamuogI Asregardsluning.thematerialgivenonp.234
BOOK REVIEWS 73
doesnotgoaweebitbeyond",hatKomalKothari somethingentirelydifferent
andSudhaRajhanshadalreadyprovidedaround SomeavoidableerrorsofspeUing,enunciation
1970,in"Cinni",1967,andthemonographabout and pagination have also crept in. Jaimati
theLangas, t972;ontheotherhand,itomits becomesJasvann and"KingofRan".Ranka
information about the tuningofthe8jharas King"onp.86.Gornkhnathisspelt35Gorakoath
(misspelthereasJohra}andconfoundsthereader (p.192).VillageSattonearMyajalarindistrict
byomittingtoidentifythetivraMaaodthekomal JaisalmerbecomesSantointhemapsonpages
NY.The concept ofthe Sadarang gamma, 79and 197andSautoonp.78.Sanu,thevillage
denotingachromatictuning.perhaps,hasnot ofFazla,becomesSonocbothinthetextandin
beentouched. themaponp.162.Onp.142Kurjan(Demoiselle
Andnow,somecomparativelyminorpoints Crane)isspellas Khwjan.Kankrolibecome
concerningthebookasawhole. Kankrohonp.87.(Itisanothermatterthatthis
Useofdiacriticalmarksmayposeproblems shrinedoesnotreallybelongtothisassemblyof
forthelayreaderas wellastheprintingpress. whatareessentially"folk"shrines).Onthesame
Andyetitisamustinaworklikethiswherealot page Nchar (tehsil) become Nosar. Page
ofvernaculartermsareinvolvedandtheirright numbersforallmapsnumberJ7andonwards
pronunciationiscrucial.Theabsenceofsuch needtobe incrementedby6;sodoalltables
marksinthisbookcreatesahostofproblems. number28 andonwards.Thisseems10have
Togivejustafewexamples,thespellingsused beencausedbyalaterinsertionofthechapter
giveno ideaofthecorrectpronunciation(given "SmallTimesBigSpaces".
in eachcasewithinbracketshere):barabagh Somefactualerrorsarealsothere.Onpage
(Badabagh],ratijaga(riitijaga),mara(mii!a),jati 87RamdeoraisrightlyascribedtotehsilPokran
(jati),khamp [khdmp],par(par],kalamSufi ofdistrictJaisalmer.Butonpages192and198it
(Kalilm SufI), gali (gall), and vani (va~i). isassignedtoJodhpurdistrict.Thebookstates
"Nathoosarangi"willmakebettersensewhen thatthelegendofDhold-Marwandoesnotfonn
writtenasNiithu-rIsarang],i.e.•satang]named a part of the Dholil epic ofthe Braj region.
afterNathii. However,thestoryinquestiondoesnotfmda
A differenceissoughttobemadebetween placeintheepicinquestionthoughitoccursas
dhani (dhani:owner) and the dhani (gha~I: onesubsidiarytothatofNalaandDamayent].
hamlet); but how is the reader supposed to Onp.84itisstaledchat"TheParBhopaof
distinguishonefromtheotheristheabsenceof Dev Narayan are not hereditary priests or
diacriticalmarks? performers",butontheverynextpageBalai
Ifitwasfoundimpossibleorinadvisableto performers are stated to bethe "hereditary
Usediacriticalmarks.thenthenextbestthing musiciansofGujarpatrons".thoughonp.78it
wouldhavebeentomodifythespellings,where hasbeenstatedthat inthecaseofDevNarayan
ncessaryandpossible,toconveyelongationand thepatronsandBhopaaregenerallyofthesame
stressas in factdoneonp.143in the caseof caste.i.e.•Gujar.
Asmentionedattheoutset,thebookisvery
LoorandTecj;butthis,too,hasnotbeendone.
Forexample,raga(melodicformula)wouldhave welcome;itwouldhavebeenevenmoresoif.
principally,itsmusicologyhadmeasuredupto
beenmorecomprehensibleasraag(andnotas
rag, as suggestedonp.l49.becausethatwill itsethnograhpy.
denote to the non-Hindi-speaking reader VIJAY VERMA
makessense.
Antarnaad: Sur aur Saaz
c. It highlights our musicians' widely shared
VijayShankar Mishra emphasischatthe worldofsangeetisutterly
free from the taintofcommunalism.
KanishkaPublishers, Delhi,2004
d. Carehasalsobeentakentodeterminetheduty
471pages,Rs900
and responsibility ofthe media, the society
and the governmenttowards ourmusic.
e. Finally, besides beingvery well written, the
This isdoubtless a work ofsingularvalue.As a
recordofinterviews-generallypointed-with bookisdistinguishedbytheauthor'sabilityto
putquestionstotheartistesinsuchawaythat
thirty-nine leading musicians, four fascinating
is sensible, penetrating and determined, hut
essaysonBharatRatnaawardees,andseventeen
neverimpolite.
honorific, yet truthful ones on those musicians
whoare no longer with us but whose memories A. for the author.pretsce(tilled ai7rall< '"l
wesurelycherish,itistomymind theonlybook ~)Ifindit,verylikeable.Itconvincesmeof
ofitskindsotui ;andhenceitsreviewtoo hasto hiseligibilityforwritingabookofthiskind.What
take a somewhat unusual form. I have gone is more, in acknowledeging the author's own
throughitmore thanonce;Ihadto,becauseitis indebtedness to those who have assisted and
packed with very interesting material and is,at encouragedhim,hisprefacenotonlyrevealshis
places.instructiveandquiteinformativeaswell.It innatehumilitybuthisuncannyeyefordetailwhich
hasnet beeneasy forme topick all its salient isperhapsduetoabasicdemandoftabla-rhythm
features,buthereIhavebeenhelped,inpart.bya in which he specializes, namely, scrupulous
closereadingoftwo(ofthethree)prefatorynotes, attention totheproperexecutionandorderingof
onebyProfessor(Mrs.) KrishnaBisht,aformer thebolswhichtheartbuildsupon,soastoproject
HeadofDelhiUniversity'sFacultyofMusicand their individual sonant uniqueness. what,
FineArts and herselfaverycompetentmusician however,lendsexceptionalvaluetothebookisits
andmusicologist;andtheotherbyShriAnilSinha potentialtoprovokethereaders'ownthinking,in
whichhasgiven mesuchinformationastheauthor addition to providing them with a gooddealof
himself could not provide in his own interestinginformationandafarbetterideaofour
autobiographicalpreface (pp.XIIl·XVIU)whieh musician's ability to think and oftheir sense of
is,however,notonlyreadable,butalsorevelatory .values.Thismany-sidedutilityoftheworkshould
oftheauthor'sinnatehumility.Luckily,some of beclearlyborneoutasInowproceedtodealwith
thebook'skeyfeatureshavebeenwellchosenby its.actualcontent.
Mrs. Bisht; my own reading of the work has However, in so far as this content is very
confirmedthem;and Imaylistthemasfollows: diverse, I propose to divide my reflections into
a. It provides truthful accounts ofthe artistes' separatesegmentsas follows:
0\\11experience,reflectionsonmusic,personal A. InformativePassages
strugglesand familialenvironment,and thus Here,Iwillrefertothosepageswhichprovide
fillsalacunainourconcernwiththeworldof such details about the lives and work ofour
musicas itpresentlyis. musiciansasdeserve tobebetterknown.Someof
h. Italsopresentssomecontroversialviews,such thesepages recountincidents thatare verylikely
as theone relatingto theorigin ofsarod, in tomakethereaderchucklewithdelight;andsome
such abalancedway thatthereaderisableto otherwouldmakehimfeelalittleedifiedbecause
decideon hisownastowhichofthemreally ofthenobility(oratleastgentility)exudingfrom
BOOK REVIEWS
75
themusicians'exemplaryattitudeorattemptsto
Kendra(NewDelhi) whoiswidelyknownnot
makesense ofsomepresentstateofaffairsina
only as asuperlative harmoniumaccompanist.
verybalancedway.
butforhispainstakingresearchesinthefieldof
S. OuestioasandAnsll't'rs MarathiNaryaSangeet.jhefirstparaonp.98which
UnderthisheadIwillJistmainlythosepages recountsTarunBhattacharya'ssantoorrecitalas
where the more penetrating questions and aninvocationofpeaceforthesoulsofthosewho
satisfying answers occur, with occasional lost their lives in the World Trade Center
commentsfrommysidetohelpthereadertoreact cataclysm;verytouchingaccountsoftheimpact
more readily to the verbal exchanges. The of some memorable Odissi performances by
questioner,ineachcase.istheauthorhimself;so, SanchitaBhattacharya(pp.I().I..I05);p.161which
torefertohim,thelatterQshouldsuffice;butin tellsushowBuddhadityaMukerji,oneofourtop
the case of respondents-the artistes sitarists,heavedasighofreliefonbeingtoldthat
interviewed-Lwhearesomany.individualnames therhythmicclappingwhichoncegreetedtheend
willhavetobegiven. WheretheQAduelsare ofhis 5·minute recital in Yugoslavia was an
speciallystriking.someextractsmayhavetobe expression of hearty applause, and nOIof
cited.Thisshouldmakeusrealizethatquiteafew disapprovalasitgenerallyisintheWest;asimilar
ofourbetterknownmusiciansarenotonlygood rarityonp.180whereManilalNag,anothersitar
performersbutwatchfulandbalancedthinkersas maestro,gratefuUy recallshowin hisup-and.
well comingyears,andatabsolutevariancewiththe
C. AccordandDissent practicetoday,hewasopen-heartedlyacclaimed-c.
Thissegmentwilldrawthereaders'attention andsoencouraged-bysucha seniorartistas
PanditOmkarnathThakur;and,onp.I9t,aquite
tothosepageswhichshowtwomusiciansgiving
heart-warmingaccountofhowourmusicians,like
utterance either to different viewsonthesame
PanditMohinderSarin.aresensitivetoourarmed
subjector to commongrievancesorproblems.
forces'sacrifices.
Generally,however.mostofthechapterscallfor
thorough reading.just because theyteem with 1Iwouldhoweverbewrongtobelievethatthe
interestingmaterial. workbeing reviewedisgoodonly atnarrating
A. AsJsaid,Jhaveinmindthemanyincidents incidents.Italsoprojectsourmusicians'tendency
describedinthebookbutthemostdelightfulof to respond, sometimesa little .....aywardly,but
these,involvingSharanRani(sarod)andthetabla mostlyquitesensiblytosearchingquestions,and
maestro UstadAhmadJanThirakwa,occurson generallywith therequisitemeasureofpoise.
p.252;andthemostgrippingone,becauseofits Good or bad. the answers are almost always
sheer bizarreness. relates to a detail ofUstad provocative,theveryfirstinterview(withUstad
Bismillah Khan's riyaz(p.3J8-319). However. AbdulHalimJafferKhan.pp.3~IJ) beingafine
example.
thesearenottheonlyincidentsthatmakethework
fascinating,andevenaquicktookatthefollowing B.Q. WhyisyourAlipasobrief!
pagesIparagraphsshouldkeepthereadergluedto A.Blaffer::Alipa isreallymeanttopreface
thebook. dhrupadsinging,notforsitarplaying.Further,a
Thebig.middleparaonp.S5whichspeaksof vilambitgatprovidesamplegroundforplaying
a very queer challenge faced and met with reposefultonalphrases.Hence.alongandleisurely
'devastating' effect bythetablamaestro,Pandit iilapa before (iJ.rbound playing is relatively
KishanMaharaj;firstparaonp.77inthechapter unnecessary(p.4).
on Jairam Potdar, presentlydirectorofKathak Q. In the fight of the fact that our
76 S.K.SAXENA
instrumentalists today vie with each other in expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, and
relating their gharana to the legendary Tansen, Minimalism.,isthistobetakenasadisruptionof
wouldyouliketosaysomethingaboutyourown thisvisualartorasaproofofthe infinitescopeit
gharana? providesforcreativity?Thedesiretobeinnovative
A. Gharilnil!Tansen! Iopenlydeclarethat I isperfectly fair, but aglib condemnationofan
andmybaajhave nothingtodowithTansen,As establishedtraditionwhichhasgivenusmaestros
for the word ghar3n3,it isto me quitevacuous. ofdiverse,yetcomparableexcellenceisquiteas
Nordo1attachanyvaluetothegharanasassuch. improper.
How are they necessary? Isnot Camatic music Yet,tobe fairtothe totality ofthismaestro's
flourishing without being hemmed in by answersinthisopeninginterview,Imustaddthat
gharanas?Itisreallyverypainfulthatpeoplehave his other utterances (in this chapter) make
succeededindividing(theworld00surandlaya admirablesense.andthatthewayheemphasizes.
on thebasisofghar3nas.(5) with thehelpofanactualexample.theabsolute
Now, such unusual answers are bound to absenceofconununaIism in the world ofmusic
provoke any thoughtful reader into many (po9, 4th regular para) or the pointed way he
questions.Personally, Iregard thismaestro asa bemoans the state of music in Pakistan (in the
superlative virtuoso. but here. to besure. his immediately followinglines)are refreshingeye
thinking is awry. In innovating his distinctive openers.
Jafferkhanibaa], ] ask. ishe dividing the art of However,not merelyitsopeningchapterbut
sitarplaying (onthebasisofsur,talaandformal theentirebookisrepletenotjustwithprovocative,
graces) or just diversifying it? Ifthe different and (at places) questionable answers, but also
ghacinasspecializeindifferentragas,orif.without withquite afewspiritedyet well arguedand (at
anydamagetoitsgrammaticalschema.they(the places)evenilluminatingrejoinderswhichbespeak
gharin3s)presentthesameraga differently(yet ofourmusicians'c-ceventablaplayers'-ability
winsomely) by availing of varyingly designed to think and argue competently. Here, at once,
compositionsandutilizingformalgracesandtexts IfeelimpelledtorefertoChapter27whichrecords
ofdissimilarlook,meaningand emotivehue. do the interview with Prof. Rangnath Mishra who
theynotmakeusawareoftheexhaustlessaesthetic nOIonly posesthe sensible questionwhy some
potentialofoneandthesameriga?Diversifying. reputedgharanasoftabladonotmakeuseofthe
Jrepeat,isnotthesomethingasdividing.(Itwas inkycirclewhenitissovisiblyapartof'theright
wellafterexpressingmyselfthusthatIcameacross one' (215), but even questions the propriety of
Pandit Bhim Sen Joshi's supportive views, on pronouncing yoga as yoga(214); and, what is
p.l71). And, finally. does this sitar maestro more, even hints at the possibility that rhytlun
proposeare-shapingofHindustanimusicon the maybegiven aplaceofpre-eminenceinsangeet
modelofitsCamaticcolleague?Shouldourvery becauseitisabletocharmus withoutthe aid of
way ofsinging the individual swara become wordsandtonesgradedinascale(218).Butinso
similartothatofoursouthIndianvidwans?Above far as limitations of space prevent me from
all, is it not a hard. unmistakable fact that it is dwellingonallthequestionsandanswersatlength.
essentiallyourghacin5:sthathave preservedand Imaydilateonjustoneor two'interviews'more.
broughtout the limitless creativereachesofour and then quickly list those pages, may beeven
music.Ifthe artofpaintinghasthrownup such paragraphs, which contain some striking verbal
diverse styles (or schools) in the West as interactions.Seeforexampletheverynext chapter
Impressionism, Expressionism, Abstract whichrecordstheinterviewwiththesarodmaestro,
BOOKREVIEWS
77
UstadAmjadAliKhan: outnumberthequestionableones.
Some pointed (at places, even caustic) Inspiteofbeinganacknowledgedconcertartist.
questions (p. 21, 2nd para). and some very Kalpana Komkali's very right emphasis on the
satisfyinganswers, withoutevenasemblanceof valueoramother'sroleinthefamily(42-46);the
getting irked; expressionoffme sentiments in courageous and quiteproper rebuttal ofKumar
respect ofthe ideal nature ofmusicas also of Gandharva'sviewthattabla-playingcannotclaim
sensibleviewson(a)creationofnewragas(20,21). toheanindependentart hyKishanMahar.lj,the
(h) right tahla accompaniment (21,22), (c) firstevertabla-maestrotobe honoured withthe
introductionofintervalsinthecourseofasingle Padma Vibhooshan award (50), and his quite
recital (22,23), (c) fusion inthe realmofmusic warranted opposition to excessively slow and
(thoughamuchbetterviewonthisspecificform quick paces ofIaya in music, as also to over
ofcreativityhasbeenputforthbyVishwaMohan emphasisontheshffstnj-apakshaofthisan(SI);
Bhattonp.233)and(d)onUstadBismillahKhan's Prof.G.c.Srivastava'sverysensibledisagreement
own and othermusiclovers'attitudetohisneed withtheviewthatinstitutionalteachinginmusic
forfinancialhelp(28-29). isnotproducinganyworthwhileresults(58)--a
However, the crowning touches here are reaction whichissues,ifalittlemore spiritedly.
provided, first, by the maestro's amazingly also from PrincipalMadhupMudgal(183-184);
balanced remarkthat thoughhouses ofworship GundechaBrothers'correctdefinitionoftheright
arenotabsolutelyessential(becausethelocusof waytosingjungalbandi(62).-aviewwhichis
true religiousness is the human heart). itis yet notonlyechoedbytheRajan-Sajanduo.butquite
very wrong to destroy them (29, last para); properly highlighted by them inthecontextof
secondly, by due emphasis on communalamity interpersonalrelationstakenquitegenerally(198);
(30);and,thirdly,bythesingularbuthynomeans the many inconveniences ofeveryday living to
insignificantremarkthat,evenliketheelements, which ourtopmost musiciansare subjectto,as
musicisnottieddowntoanyparticularreligion, listednotonlybyFahimuddinDagar(p.J48),bot
and that though it cannot satisfy hunger,music by the famedVaranasiduoofvocalists,though
can certainlynourishthesoul(31). the latteralone highlightthe matteragainst the
The next 'interview' projects some very rampantcrazeforthegameofcricket(204);Gopal
sensible'answers'by Ustad Asad AliKhan, our ChandraPanda'srevelationofthethreeragasand
only Rudra Veena expert (33-37). What the the three specific gamakas which distinguish
maestrosaysaboutthefutureof'veena-playingin Odissi classical music as rooted in the
our country (34·35) should make us aUsit up compositionsofJaideva(67)(andofwhichIhave
apprehensively.Luckily,however.somereliefis no knowledge at all); Sanchita Bhattacharya's
providedbywhatwearetoldaboutadherenceto sensible explanation ofwhy an Odissi recital
thegum-shishyspar.u1¥'anlofteachingatLI.C., generallybeginswithbhoomipr:J.pam(I0I),and
Kolkata. Thenext interviewee, UstadAasheesh hermovingappealtoourpoliticalrulers(106);
Khan, is likely to surprise the reader by his PrincipalMadhupMudgel'sbalancedremarkson
preferring not only Buddhadev Oasgupta, bUI the differring value of words in classical and
SharanRaniaswell10thefarbetterknown.Amjad sugamsangeel(184,186);Pdt.MohinderSateen's
Ali(41).Butwhat!havefoonddifficulttodigest explanationofwhyexactlysuchsangeetshould
is what Aasheesh Khan has said about A.R. beregardedassug301(188)andbismentionof3
Rahman(42).Luckily,however,satisfyingviews little known. but important detail which the
expressed during the course ofinterviews far composerofsug.J111sangeethas10bearinmind.
78 s.K. SAXENA
thatis,theprecisemomentwherethesingermay his recitals as memorable, because he still sees
havetobreatherestfully(190),and(inmyview)a some lacunaein his singing (174); a somewhat
rightfulprotestagainstthecontinuingtendencyto similarexpression ofthe same inability by the
overrateK.L.Saigalasasinger(195). famous violinist Dr. N. Rajan (133); and Ustad
Itwouldhoweverbewrongtobelievethatwhat Zia Fariduddin Dagar's contribution to the
Ihavesaidsofar,onthebasisofmyfirstreading propagationofdhrupad,andhisemphasisonthree
ofthebook, isallthatmakestheworkfascinating suchformal gracesas1hadneverheardofearlier,
andrichly informative. The truth rather is that namely,padchedan,patjhad, andpataka(136).
subsequentreadingsofthe bookhave struckme C. Beitnotedthat,ononepointatleast,this
withanumberofotherfactsandargumentswhich dhrupadmaestroentirelydisagreeswith another
1justcannothelpbutreferringto. very senior member of the Dagar family.
UstadAhmad Jan Thirakwa's 25·year long According to Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, the
stintasatablaaccompanistwithBalGandharvain wordbam·(andits4/5 fonns)arejusttheproduct
various plays, and his noteworthy open-hearted ofsome individual's whims (138, last line). On
admissionthathehadnotseenanyothervocalist the otherhand, UstadFahimuddinDagarinsists
adaptingvariationsoflayatoexpressionofdifferent thattheDagarbanialoneisthatpurebaniwhich
rasas aseffectivelyasBalGandharvacould(80); incorporatesand buildsuponallthe essentialsof
admission ofthe intrinsicallyuntuneful tone of sangeet.Both,however,agreeinmaintainingthat
gaand dhaastheysoundonaharmonium,along it is betterto regard dhrupad as an epitome of
withanexpertplayer'sdevicetocoverthedefect, ancientIndianculturalvaluesthanasameregenre
by such an admittedly competent harmonium ofclassicalvocalmusic(136, 146).
accompanistasJairamPotdar(90);anaccountof All this should be enough to sustain the
themainreasonwhyvocalistshaveoftenpreferred readers'interestin thebook. YetIcannotclose
the harmonium to sarangi as an accompanying thisreviewwithoutinvitingtheirattentiontowhat
instrument(91-92);the non-aestheticworriesof I regard as a superlative instance ofhow one's
today'sprofessionalmusicianswhonolongerenjoy commitment to music can surpass every other
anyroyal patronage(95); aC.D. forde-stressing interest.Once,whenUstadHafizAliKhan,father
(producedbyTarunBhattacharya)whichisselling ofAmjad Ali, met the then President ofIndia,
welleveninforeign countries(97); Buddhaditya Dr Rajendra Prasad, and when the First
Mukerji(the sitarist)asthe firstIndianmusician Citizenanxiouslyenquiredifthe ageingmaestro
to perform in the British House ofCommons needed any help, the latter's ready answerwas:
(153); very interestinginformation(providedby 'Sir! Just protectragadarbari,please;itisfacing
Bhajan Sopori) about the musical ancestry of mutilation;andnow,Sir,Ibegleavetogo--tobe
santoor,asalsoabouttheartist'sowninnovations on time fornamilz(17).
inre-structuringtheinstrumentandhisdistinctive Thebookaboundsinsuchfascinatingmaterial,
playing ofsometaans(anduseofchi/din)which anditsmultifariousrichnessmakeusfeelbeholden
is possible only on a santoor(167-168); Pandit totheauthor.
BhimSen Joshi'sinabilitytocharacterizeany of S. K. SAXENA